Dealer won't honor warranty due to aftermarket exhaust
06-04-18, 07:41 PM
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Dealer won't honor warranty due to aftermarket exhaust
2015 RC F with Joe Z exhaust, has been on the car almost since I bought it. About a year to 18 months after I had the Joe Z installed, I got a CEL for a failed catalytic convertor on one side of the V8. Dealer honored warranty and replaced the cat. Now roughly another year or so I have the same problem and dealer says they won't replace the cat again even though I'm well within the warranty for the emissions system. The service manager is telling me that the mid pipe on the Joe Z does not have the secondary cat on it, as the OEM exhaust does, and therefore the back-pressure is low and causing the cat failure. Sounds like BS to me, I haven't heard anything about this from others on this forum. Seems to me if that were the case then would have the same problem on both sides of the engine. Thoughts? Suggestions? My plan right now is to tell the service manager I want to talk to his boss or someone from Lexus.
06-04-18, 09:26 PM
#3
I guess at this point you have nothing to lose and may be worth escalating it. But seems like they would have a good case in not covering it because you did 'alter' the exhaust system. Would be hard for them to cover it through warranty.
Good luck.
Good luck.
06-04-18, 09:47 PM
#4
This also depends on how often you go back to the dealer for service. They probably hooked you up the first time and if you never go back they probably decided not to cover it this time.
06-05-18, 06:42 AM
#7
Interesting dilemma.
If you don't argue, you get nothing.
If you annoy them too much, they'll tell you not to bring the car back.
But they can't do that? Sure they can, they just schedule your appointments for 2019 until you get the message.
w/r/t " talk to customer service and tell them the situation ":
"Hi, I'm having a warranty problem with my exhaust system. I modified it, and the dealer says he won't fix it".
(click)
If you don't argue, you get nothing.
If you annoy them too much, they'll tell you not to bring the car back.
But they can't do that? Sure they can, they just schedule your appointments for 2019 until you get the message.
w/r/t " talk to customer service and tell them the situation ":
"Hi, I'm having a warranty problem with my exhaust system. I modified it, and the dealer says he won't fix it".
(click)
Trending Topics
06-05-18, 06:53 AM
#8
Pole Position
Hello,
I have a question for you (DT2K). I currently have a Borla exhaust system (the OEM two secondary cats are gone). I'm taking my RCF in for the fuel railing pump recall. Will the Lexus dealership mark on the Lexus dealership computer system that I have an aftermarket Borla exhaust system? So far I have nothing wrong with my RCF, knock on wood.
What do you think? Should I take the time to RESTORE my OEM exhaust system before I take it in for the recall? Thanks
I have a question for you (DT2K). I currently have a Borla exhaust system (the OEM two secondary cats are gone). I'm taking my RCF in for the fuel railing pump recall. Will the Lexus dealership mark on the Lexus dealership computer system that I have an aftermarket Borla exhaust system? So far I have nothing wrong with my RCF, knock on wood.
What do you think? Should I take the time to RESTORE my OEM exhaust system before I take it in for the recall? Thanks
06-05-18, 07:13 AM
#9
Hello,
I have a question for you (DT2K). I currently have a Borla exhaust system (the OEM two secondary cats are gone). I'm taking my RCF in for the fuel railing pump recall. Will the Lexus dealership mark on the Lexus dealership computer system that I have an aftermarket Borla exhaust system? So far I have nothing wrong with my RCF, knock on wood.
What do you think? Should I take the time to RESTORE my OEM exhaust system before I take it in for the recall? Thanks
I have a question for you (DT2K). I currently have a Borla exhaust system (the OEM two secondary cats are gone). I'm taking my RCF in for the fuel railing pump recall. Will the Lexus dealership mark on the Lexus dealership computer system that I have an aftermarket Borla exhaust system? So far I have nothing wrong with my RCF, knock on wood.
What do you think? Should I take the time to RESTORE my OEM exhaust system before I take it in for the recall? Thanks
06-05-18, 10:05 AM
#12
If you modify your car you do take a risk of denial of warranty. That IMHO is one of the risks of modifications. Even if the modifications did not cause the failure.
Based on personal experience if you complain loud enough and go high enough you may get it fixed again. The next time it goes out? Who knows.
Based on personal experience if you complain loud enough and go high enough you may get it fixed again. The next time it goes out? Who knows.
06-05-18, 10:43 AM
#13
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Interesting dilemma.
If you don't argue, you get nothing.
If you annoy them too much, they'll tell you not to bring the car back.
But they can't do that? Sure they can, they just schedule your appointments for 2019 until you get the message.
w/r/t " talk to customer service and tell them the situation ":
"Hi, I'm having a warranty problem with my exhaust system. I modified it, and the dealer says he won't fix it".
(click)
If you don't argue, you get nothing.
If you annoy them too much, they'll tell you not to bring the car back.
But they can't do that? Sure they can, they just schedule your appointments for 2019 until you get the message.
w/r/t " talk to customer service and tell them the situation ":
"Hi, I'm having a warranty problem with my exhaust system. I modified it, and the dealer says he won't fix it".
(click)
In any case, the service manager suggested I get a "piggyback ECU" which would have a map for the higher flow of the exhaust, intake, etc. and would therefore tell the locked-down lexus ECU that everything is hunky-dorry. Seems like a good idea except I can find nothing like that for the RCF or ISF.
Last edited by Fysisist; 06-05-18 at 10:50 AM.
06-05-18, 01:47 PM
#15
In any case, the service manager suggested I get a "piggyback ECU" which would have a map for the higher flow of the exhaust, intake, etc. and would therefore tell the locked-down lexus ECU that everything is hunky-dorry. Seems like a good idea except I can find nothing like that for the RCF or ISF.
One of the forum sponsors (RR Racing) has a tune available for the RC-F that will remove all future CEL related to the bad catalytic converter: http://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-L...rcftune001.htm